FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 203 | INDORE | MONDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2025 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Nation PM: 2025 year of proud milestones for country P.7 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY Tariff era challenges fuel export resilience, growth UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Cong gears up for fresh push P.6 Sports Abhishek mesmerises... P.10 SUBMARINE SORTIE | She is 2nd prez to undertake a submarine sortie. In February, 2006, Kalam was the first BSF, Meghalaya cops junk Dhaka claim on Hadi killers PTI SHILLONG t Indore’s traffic signals, 11-year-old Aaditya Tiwari in a soldier’s uniform uses songs and smiles to inspire commuters toward safety, discipline, and civic responsibility. Turn to Indore page to find out how. SEE P2 A fp Briefs WEST PALM BEACH ‘Peace efforts in final stages’ US President Donald Trump welcomed Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his Florida estate for critical talks on ending the war with Russia. The two leaders stood outside the Mar-a-Lago resort and addressed reporters as they prepared to discuss a new proposal to end the conflict. US President Donald Trump said Sunday that diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine war were in the "final stages". "I think we're very, we're in the final stages of talking, and we're going to see. Otherwise, it's going to go on for a long time." PATNA 3 Maoists surrender Three Maoists, including two carrying a bounty of Rs 3 lakh each on their heads, surrendered before Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar in Munger district on Sunday, an official statement said. Banned CPI (Maoist) zonal commander Narayn Koda and sub-zonal commander Bahadur Koda, carrying a collective reward of Rs 6 lakh on their heads, and another red rebel Vinod alias Bino Koda surrendered before the police, it said. NEW DELHI Key top court hearings today Amid a row over the definition of Aravalli hills approved by it, Supreme Court’s vacation bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices JK Maheshwari and Augustine George Masih will hear the matter on Monday. It will also hear CBI’s plea challenging Delhi HC order suspending life term of expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. MURMU DIVES DEEP President Droupadi Murmu with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi during a sortie on Navy’s indigenous Kalvari class submarine INS Vaghsheer at Karwar Naval Base, Karnataka on Sunday Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi accompanied President Murmu, who is also the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, during the sortie in the Kalvari class submarine from the Karwar naval base in Karnataka, officials said. The President, donning a naval uniform, waved at naval PTI NEW DELHI, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday undertook a sortie onboard Indian Navy's indigenously-built frontline submarine INS Vaghsheer on the Western seaboard. Murmu is the second President to undertake a submarine sortie. In February 2006, APJ Abdul Kalam experienced a submarine sortie onboard INS Sindhu Rakshak. personnel before entering the submarine. She also interacted with the crew of INS Vaghsheer and lauded their dedication, while describing the indigenous submarine as a shining example of the Indian Navy's professional excellence and combat preparedness. "President Droupadi Murmu undertook a dived sortie on the Western Seaboard onboard INS Vaghsheer," the President's Secretariat said. It said the President was briefed on the role of the submarine arm in India's maritime strategy, and the operational capabilities as well as contributions in safeguarding national maritime interests. 4Continued on | P8 Flagging the issue of antibiotic resistance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people not to take such medicines without consulting a doctor. In his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' radio address, Modi said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently released a report which said that antibiotics Indian-American lawmaker Ro Khanna has condemned the killing of a Hindu garment factory worker in Bangladesh, urging the global community to speak out against such "vile acts of hatred and bigotry". Dipu Chandra Das, 27, was lynched by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Baluka in Bangladesh's Mymensingh district earlier this month such movement and coordination with central agencies was ongoing. BSF officials said that the personnel deployed along the international border have been kept on a high state of alert at all times to avert any untoward incident, particularly in view of the unrest and volatile situation prevailing in the neighbouring country. The force reiterated that the international border in the sector was under constant surveillance and any attempt at illegal cross-border movement would be promptly detected and dealt with. 4Continued on | P8 Bhopal 4.8 City Khajuraho 4.8 Our Staff Reporter Mandsaur 2.5 Malajkhand 5.1 BHOPAL Resolves over 14,000 grievances Shahdol 2.8 Raisen 5.6 Shajapur 3.2 Shivpuri 6.0 Rewa 3.2 Mandla 6.0 Rajgarh 3.5 Gwalior 6.2 Pachmarhi 3.8 Datia 6.3 Nowgong 4.2 Indore 6.6 Umaria 4.5 Damoh 6.8 Agencies The explosion caused severe injuries to Sukhram Barela’s lower body Our Staff Reporter NEW DELHI BHOPAL The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has operationalised a dedicated 24x7 control room in Delhi to strengthen passenger support and streamline grievance redressal across airports and airlines. Pramod Kumar Thakur, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, said the control room has been functional since the night of December 9 and brings all key stakeholders under one roof. "This control room has been operational since the night of the 9th, and we have brought together all the stakeholders - all our airlines, airport operators, our MoCA team, our DGCA team, our development team - all the teams are seated here in one place.", Thakur said. A 20-year-old man was killed in a powerful explosion while riding his motorcycle on Ichhawar-Ashta road near Ramnagar village in Sehore district on Sunday, police said. The blast, believed to have been caused by explosive material being carried on the vehicle, severely damaged rider’s lower body and completely destroyed the motorcycle. Police station in-charge of Ichhawar, Pankaj Wadekar, told media that the victim has been identified as Sukhram Barela, a resident of Jamli village. He was travelling from Ichhawar towards Ramnagar when the incident occurred between 10.30 am and 11 am, near a stone-crushing machine. The explosion caused severe injuries to Sukhram’s lower body, throwing it a considerable distance from the road. No suspicious objects were found at the scene, and the area was immediately secured. Prima facie, police said, the explosive might have been intended for digging a well, small-scale mining in fields or fishing activity. Police and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team rushed to the spot after the incident was reported. Agencies A day after his remarks praising the organisational strength of RSS and BJP set off a churning in Congress, Digvijaya Singh on Sunday clarified that the party is united and alleged that the Sangh Parivar was trying to sow discord within the Nehru-Gandhi family. But the comments exposed faultlines within the party with senior leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Salman Khurshid supporting Singh's views, while functionaries like Pawan FP News Service 4Continued on | P8 Nowadays, people have started believing that just taking a pill would cure all their problems Narendra Modi Prime Minister doctor's advice. "Nowadays, people have started believing that just taking a pill would cure all huddling around bonfires for protection from chill. The current winter spell, characterised by northerly cold winds and low visibility, disrupted daily life, transportation and health across the state. Health advisories urged caution for vulnerable groups like elderly, children and those with re- their problems. This is the reason diseases and infections are proving to be too strong for these antibiotics. "I urge all of you to refrain from using medicines at your own discretion. This is especially important when it comes to antibiotics. I would simply say: Medicines require guidance, and antibiotics require doctors. This practice will prove to be very helpful in improving your health," he said. Temp spiratory issues, due to risks of hypothermia and fog-related accidents. 4Continued on | P8 United States has become the REAL United Nations: Trump PTI NEW YORK/WASHINGTON JABALPUR 4Continued on | P8 At the Congress headquarters, Indira Bhavan, a light moment unfolded on the sidelines of the party’s Foundation Day celebrations when senior leader Digvijaya Singh met Rahul Gandhi. Sources said that as the two leaders greeted each other, Gandhi made a playful remark to Singh: "You misbehaved yesterday!" He was referring to Singh's Saturday's remarks about RSS, media reports said. Gandhi's comment sparked laughter among those present, including former party chief Sonia Gandhi Khera and Manickam Tagore derided the "self goal". "There is no difference in ideology. We (Congress) are all united, and this Maha Shikshan Mandal to get funds for Marathi promotion Nehru-Gandhi family is a family in which two people have been martyred. When Rahul took a dig NEW DELHI Madhya Pradesh continued to reel under intense cold wave on Sunday, with 10 districts recording temperatures below 5°C. The districts affected include Mandsaur, Shahdol, Shajapur, Rewa, Rajgarh, Pachmarhi, Khajuraho, Bhopal, Umaria and Nowgong. Biting cold paralysed normal life in Bhopal, which recorded 4.8°C, with people Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the Maharashtra government will provide funds to Maharashtra Shikshan Mandal, Jabalpur for promotion of Marathi language. He was speaking at the centenary celebration function of Maharashtra Shikshan Mandal held at Manas Bhavan. Speaking on the New Education Policy, he said the Prime Minister has launched the policy to promote native languages. Fadnavis said a Marathi person never thinks narrowly, he always thinks from a global perspective. Education and culture are two subjects which the Marathi people like, he said. Diggy row: Cong churning swells were proving ineffective against many diseases like pneumonia and UTI (Urinary Tract Infections). "This is a matter of great concern for all of us," he said. According to the report, Modi said, a major reason for this is people's indiscriminate use of antibiotics. He said antibiotics are not medicines that can be taken mindlessly. He said the medicines should be used only on the US lawmaker condemns killing of Hindu man CHILL CHART PM cautions against indiscriminate antibiotics use PTI Protestors burn an effigy of Muhammad Yunus during a protest condemning the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh Blast on moving Mercury drops below 5°C in 10 districts bike kills 20-yr-old Alerts issued for fog, frost man in Sehore Aviation Ministry launches 24x7 Control Room mann ki baat NEW DELHI Security agencies in Meghalaya on Sunday dismissed claims by the Bangladesh Police that the killers of Inquilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman Hadi had entered the state. The claims are unfounded and misleading, BSF chief in Meghalaya, Inspector General O P Opadhyay said. A top Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer earlier in the day said that two primary suspects in the Hadi murder case have crossed into Meghalaya via the Haluaghat border "with the help of local associates". "There is no evidence to suggest that any individual crossed the international border from the Haluaghat sector into Meghalaya. The BSF has neither detected nor received any report of such an incident," Opadhyay told PTI. The claims being circulated are unfounded and misleading, he said. A senior Meghalaya police officer also said that there was "no input or intelligence to corroborate" the claim of the suspects' presence in the Garo Hills region. The officer said local police units had not detected any The United States has become the "real" United Nations and the world body has been of very little help in resolving conflicts around the world, President Donald Trump said as he announced that the fighting between Thailand and Cambodia will stop momentarily. "I am pleased to announce that the breakout fighting between Thailand and Cambo- dia will stop momentarily, and they will go back to living in peace, as per our recently agreed to original Treaty," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday. Trump congratulated both the "great leaders on their bril- PIO wins £67k claim over ‘slave’ remark by UK KFC franchise Aditi Khanna LONDON An Indian man who accused his manager at a KFC franchise outlet in south-east London of wrongful dismissal and race discrimination has won nearly £67,000 in compensation after a tribunal ruled in his favour. Madhesh Ravichandran, from Tamil Nadu, told an employment tribunal hearing that his Sri Lankan Tamil boss discriminated against him and used references such as “slave” and “Indians are fraudsters” directed at him. In details from the hearing published this week, tribunal judge Paul Abbott upheld Ravichandran’s claim of wrongful dismissal and race discrimination against Nexus Foods Limited. “The complaints of direct race discrimination are wellfounded and succeed,” reads the judgment. “We have found on the facts the claimant was subject to the less favourable treatments. his holiday request was refused as he was Indian and [restaurant manager] Kajan wished to prioritise requests from Lankan Tamil colleagues, and he was referred to as a ‘shit’ and a ‘slave’ which is self-evidently less favourable treatment due to his race,” it notes. Ravichandran began work at the West Wickham outlet of KFC in January 2023 following his interview with Kajan, whom he reported to directly. 4Continued on | P8 liance in coming to this rapid and very fair conclusion," saying that it was "fast & decisive" as all of these situations should be. He said the US, as always, was proud to help in bringing the hostilities to an end, as he criticised the UN for its failure in resolving conflicts around the world. He also again claimed credit for ending eight wars in the first eight months of his second term in the White House. 4Continued on | P8 Pak Dy PM admits Nur Khan airbase attacked in May PTI LAHORE Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has admitted that India attacked its Nur Khan airbase in the early hours of May 10, in possibly a first-time admission eight months after the four-day armed conflict between the two countries. Dar also said that Islamabad did not request mediation between Pakistan and India during the May conflict, but claimed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed a desire to speak with New Delhi. 4Continued on | P8